Structural Slab Costs

Say It Ain’t So

Kudos on the article “Pouring a Structural Slab” (7/12); I am hoping to use such a slab in a project now on the drawing board. The article says that the structural slab added $55,000 more to the project, but please say it ain’t so! I am hoping you really meant $5,500. I realize the project was in the Northeast, but I cannot imagine the whole garage costing as much as $55,000.

Linda Lloyd

Shelter Concepts

Bella Vista, Ark.

I’m afraid the costs were accurately reported. The foundation used in the article has, among other features, a 16-foot-tall reinforced concrete wall with a walkout opening on the downhill side, a slab in the storage area, and a pan-formed reinforced slab supported on steel I-beams overhead. Even given regional price variations, you could not get that kind of work for anywhere near $5,500 from a reputable concrete contractor. — The Editor